An update on the in-patient unit at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool

In the interest of patient safety, Marie Curie took the difficult but necessary decision to pause admissions to the in-patient unit at our hospice in Liverpool last summer. Like many other care providers, Marie Curie in Liverpool has experienced challenges recruiting and retaining the number of staff required to safely run the unit. 

We’re very sorry for the concern this has caused and understand how this has impacted our patients, staff, volunteers, supporters and the local community. Throughout this period, Marie Curie has continued to care for local people at the end of life through all our other services, including as outpatients at the hospice.

We’re in very constructive discussions with the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, who are responsible for commissioning and funding local end of life services. Together, we’re working hard to resolve three essential areas:

We put patient safety first in all we do. To re-open the unit as soon as possible, we need the Integrated Care Board and local NHS Trust’s support to help provide the additional registered nurses and healthcare assistants required to manage the in-patient beds and ensure patient safety.

Marie Curie is commissioned and funded to deliver local services on behalf of the Integrated Care Board in Liverpool. Over several years, this funding has fallen short of what's required to operate the in-patient unit. Due to the rising costs of delivering care, Marie Curie invested £10.8 million of charitable funds into the unit in the last three years to cover the shortfall.

The charitable investment that we make into our services in Liverpool far exceeds the charitable funds generated by the community who fundraise in Liverpool. This means we’ve been meeting the gap with charitable donations from our generous supporters not just in Liverpool but across the UK, too.

This isn’t sustainable long-term for the hospice unit, for Marie Curie and its supporters, and most importantly, for the people of Liverpool who need in-patient hospice care now and into the future.

We need the Integrated Care Board’s support to ensure there is a long term plan to maintain in-patient beds before we’re ready and able to admit and look after in-patients. There are also practical challenges to delivering accessible and high-quality care at the hospice building in Woolton, which will require significant investment to meet future patient needs.

We will also work closely with the Integrated Care Board and local NHS partners to identify how more people can have better access to end of life care across Liverpool well into the future. Only 5% of the nearly 5,000 people who die in Liverpool each year do so in a hospice. At the same time, a higher percentage of people (52%) in Liverpool end up dying in hospital than the national average. We want to work collaboratively to ensure that all dying people in Liverpool get the care and support they need at the end of life: receiving the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

By changing and adapting how we work, we’ll be able to provide the right palliative and end of life care in the right place at the right time for more people, whilst also relieving pressure on local NHS services. But we need proper long-term funding to make this happen.   

We understand and appreciate the commitment and passion of staff, volunteers, supporters and local people in Liverpool. We want you to understand our plans as well as our challenges, so your views and questions are incredibly important to us. Please keep an eye on this page for regular updates.

If you’d like to tell us what you think or ask a question, get in touch with us by emailing comments@mariecurie.org.uk.

We’ll be arranging a public event in Liverpool soon. More details to follow when we have them.

All our other services in Liverpool are operating as normal, so please continue to ask for support if you need it. To learn more about the services in your area and how we may be able to help, call 0300 100 1002 or visit our North West services page.

Marie Curie’s Support Line offers free information and emotional support for people living with a terminal illness and their family, friends and carers. Give us a call on 0800 090 2309 or email support@mariecurie.org.uk. Open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm Saturday to Sunday.